


There Goes My Life

by ohmypeeta



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe, Divorce, F/M, Out of Character, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 11:23:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8141986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmypeeta/pseuds/ohmypeeta
Summary: Short ficlet inspired by Kenny Chesney's There Goes My Life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins. 
> 
> This work is unbetaed. All mistakes are my own and I apologize for them. 
> 
> Characters are slightly OOC, but I label all my works as such, just in case.

PROM NIGHT 

As he paced the length of the living room for the third time, Peeta Mellark could not contain his excitement. He had been waiting for this night for weeks. He knew prom night was highly anticipated by his peers, and likely for the same reasons he had as he counted down the days. However, he considered his night more important, for it would be the last guaranteed night alone with his girlfriend before he left for the west coast for college. Peeta, captain of his high school's wrestling team, had been accepted on a full scholarship. His girlfriend, on the other hand, would be staying in their small town of Panem, taking online classes through the local community college and working full time to support her sister. 

When Peeta had shared the news of his move with his girlfriend, she had hid her true emotions well. On the outside, she presented herself as strong and detached, outwardly expressing her happiness for him. But inside, Peeta knew she was upset, broken-hearted even. He knew when he applied at the end of his junior year, she would never follow, but it had been his dream since he was barely old enough to understand what college was. Their relationship was strong, he told her, and surely they could manage long distance for a few years. They had been together for just as long, and had overcome more than any young couple ever should. Her father's unexpected death early in their freshmen year, her mother's subsequent depression, his mother's growing alcohol dependency and abuse, and the divorce of his parents early in the year. If they could stay together through all of that, Peeta knew a few thousand miles between them could not break the bond they shared. 

She had smiled, but it did not quite reach her smokey eyes. It was in that moment she suggested they book a room for prom night. She reasoned they deserved some alone time for once, considering her sister or his brothers always seemed to be around. Peeta knew better. She planned to say goodbye after prom, giving him the one thing she had not let go of. Their relationship was an anomaly at Panem High. For a couple to be abstinent for a year was rare, but for two virgins to be dating for almost four years was unheard of. He was constantly teased by his teammates, but he was proud of his relationship. He loved and respected his girlfriend, and he did not need sex to be happy. He was still a teenage boy though, and thought of it often, so even if she planned to use sex to say goodbye, he planned to make her see why it was just the beginning. 

When the limo pulled up in front of his house, he wiped his hands down the front of his crisp, rented pants. His excitement was quickly turning into nervousness, and he still had dinner and the actual prom to get through. He took a deep breath, straightened the light orange boutineer on his lapel, and made his way to the awaiting car. Tonight was the night he would convince Katniss Everdeen not to give up on them. 

\--- 

Prom was a waste of time, but they had expected it to be. After a couple of dances, chatting with some of his teammates and their dates, and nibbling on some of the food, Peeta was ready to leave. He knew Katniss was too, but she would never admit it. Even though the hotel was her idea, he could see she was beginning to rethink it. Katniss overanalyzed everything, and he should have known this would not be any different. 

"Hey," he said, placing his hand on the small of her back, "are you ready to go?"

She did not answer, her eyes slowly raking over their classmates dancing and mingling around the punch bowl. Finally, she gave a small nod and turned towards the exit. 

The ride to the hotel was short, and after tipping the limo driver, Peeta and Katniss made their way into the deserted lobby hand in hand. Panem was a small town, and this hotel was only one of three in town. It was no secret what they were doing, and Peeta knew by morning, the rooms would be filled with Panem High's seniors. Peeta was grateful they had left when they did, ensuring they avoided their classmates and friends. He knew he and Katniss had enough thoughts going through their minds without others' opinions. 

Check in went quickly, and before Peeta knew it, they were standing in front of a standard hotel king size bed. Beside him, he knew Katniss was trembling, and he reached for her hand reassuringly. 

"We don't have to do this, you know. I've told you already, the distance isn't going to change anything for me." 

Katniss turned slowly to face him. He expected to see hurt, regret, uncertainty in her features. Instead, he was greeted by a look of determination, longing, and lust. 

"I've thought about this every day for three weeks, Peeta. I know you think otherwise, but we need to be realistic. You'll be on the coast, surrounded by other college freshman, half of them girls. I'll be here, trying to fit in courses when I can, working extra shifts to cover the costs. I'm not naive. I'm not like my mother. I love you, Peeta. And I realize that because I love you, I have to let you go. But I want one more night. I want it to be the best night of the last four years. Even if it's the last, I want you to be my first." 

He stood in awe, at a loss for words. He still thought she was being unreasonable-- they could make it work-- but who was he to deny her this request, when she expressed herself so eloquently? His lips crashed to hers in a heated frenzy, and before he knew what was happening next, they were a tangle of limbs on the bed. 

She tasted sweet, a hint of strawberry, likely from the tarts she had eaten at the prom. Despite the fact they had never gone all the way, they were no strangers to each other's bodies. And tonight, all bets were off, so Peeta was determined to take it slow, savoring every second of it. When Katniss reached between them to undo his belt buckle, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. 

She pulled away, hurt, rejected. "We have all night," he reminded her, kissing the tip of her nose. "I don't want to rush this." She seemed to understand, and instead placed her hands around his neck, pulling him in for another kiss. Peeta smiled into her lips, amazed at how lucky he really was. 

\---- 

GRADUATION

The caps went flying into the air, the thunderous applause and cheers filling the small auditorium of the high school. As the graduates caught their caps, they embraced each other in side hugs and exchanged high fives. Peeta, on the other hand, was searching the crowd for Katniss. She had arrived late for the ceremony, sliding into her seat in the front, three rows ahead of him. Now that it was over, she seemed to have disappeared, and he did not understand why. She had seemed fine the night before, excited even, but failed to answer the three text messages he sent her this morning. 

After accepting a congratulations and hug from his best friend, Finnick, he set off toward the stands where his father and brothers were waiting. 

"Congratulations, son," his dad beamed, clapping him on the shoulder. His brothers embraced him tightly, but Peeta was distracted. 

"Did you guys see where Katniss went?" 

His dad frowned. "No. Come to think of it, I didn't see her mother or Prim either. Is everything okay?" 

"I'm not sure. I haven't talked to her since last night. Can I meet you at the restaurant? I just want to make sure she's okay." 

"Sure thing," his dad replied, "Just don't be too long. Our reservations are in twenty minutes." 

"No problem," Peeta nodded, turning to scan the crowd in search of the signature raven braid. 

He found her ten minutes later, on the opposite side of the school. She was sitting on the floor, her graduation robes splayed on the floor around her. Her sobs echoed down the empty hallway and Peeta rushed to her, his worry increasing ten fold. He had only known Katniss to cry once, right after her father died. If she was crying, something was seriously wrong. 

"Katniss, what's wrong? Are you okay?" She choked on a sob, shaking her head almost violently. In that moment, she began to hyperventilate, her breathing ragged. "Katniss. Katniss. Please. Calm down." Peeta was scared. He had never seen anyone like this before. He did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders and held her close to his chest. She continued to sob, but her breathing began to even out, and eventually, she quieted completely. 

Peeta rubbed her arms slowly, waiting for her cue that she was okay. He knew his dad would be upset he was not on time for lunch, but in this moment, Katniss was more important than a celebratory lunch. Finally, Katniss lifted her head and pulled away. 

"Peeta, I'm sorry." 

His eyebrows knit in confusion. "For what? You have nothing to be sorry for." 

"Yes, I do." She began to sob again, but when Peeta reached for her, she pulled away. "Peeta, I'm--I'm--I'm pregnant," she admitted through tears. 

The world suddenly stopped. He heard her wrong. He had to have heard it wrong. Pregnant? How could she be pregnant? It was one time. They were careful. Very careful. He had made sure to buy a new box of condoms the morning of prom and checked the two they had used thoroughly for holes. How was it even possible? 

Pregnant. A baby. But what about school? His scholarship? His future? Her future? And-- their future? They were barely eighteen, they could not be parents. They were too young. 

"Are you sure?" he whispered. 

She nodded. "I've taken five tests." She paused. "I'm a week late. They were all positive."

"What are we going to do?" he dared to ask. 

Katniss let out a snort. "We? There isn't a we anymore, Peeta." She had suddenly hardened, the tears gone. "I thought I had made that clear last month. Ironic, since that's why we're in this mess." She adjusted her body to face him. "You're going to college. You've worked too hard to throw it all away." 

Peeta shook his head. "But what about you? What about... our baby?" 

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. I just know you can't stay here, Peeta." With that statement, she stood and walked away, leaving him stunned, unable to move. 

\--

That night, Peeta sat across from his dad at their dining room table. After completely missing lunch and then not returning home for hours, Peeta had a lot of explaining to do. Mr. Mellark, to his credit, was a patient and understanding man. He sat across from Peeta, hands folded in front of him, and listened quietly as Peeta recounted everything that had happened in the last month. 

Peeta was thankful when his dad did not argue with his decision to decline his scholarship, enroll at Panem Community College, and help out at the bakery full time. 

\-------

KINDERGARTEN 

Peeta did not think he would feel so emotional this morning. He had felt nothing but pride three days prior, during the meet and greet at the elementary school. But as he gazed at the stick figures and splash of color that adorned the refrigerator, he felt the tears pooling in his eyes. Today was his daughter's first day of school, and he did not want to let her go. She was growing up much too fast and Peeta just wanted to hold on a bit longer. 

Things have changed a lot since the day Katniss had told him she was pregnant. After deciding to stay in Panem with her, Katniss had been upset, and refused to speak to or see him for almost the entire summer after graduation. But Peeta was determined. He was not one to shy away from his responsibilities, and he wanted to be there to support Katniss. In August, when she realized he really was not going anywhere, she showed up on his doorstep in the middle of the night. When he opened the door, she had wordlessly taken his hand and placed it on the slight swell of her stomach. Three days later, they were moving their things into the apartment above the bakery. A month after that, the day they found out they were having a girl, they went to the court house and signed their marriage license. 

Things were not easy, especially in the beginning. In the months leading up to their daughter's birth, they fought a lot. There was a lot of blame and resentment for theirselves and each other, and often times, Peeta slept on the couch, neither speaking to the other for days. After their daughter arrived, things were better for a little while, the two teenagers so in love with the little girl they had brought into the world, they forgot about all the negativity. But, as they tried to adjust to having another person to take care of, the tension became high, the arguments in heated whispers to not wake the baby when she finally did sleep. 

Katniss struggled with balancing school work, her part time job at the library, and taking care of an infant. She breastfed, which meant she was up at all hours of the night, meeting their little girl's needs. Peeta wanted and tried to help, but Katniss would tell him to go back to bed, she had it covered. Deep down, Peeta knew she was jealous and resented him. This resentment caused a major rift in their already teetering relationship. 

When their daughter was almost one, Peeta's dad confided in him that while the bakery was stable, it was not as profitable as it once was. Chain coffee shops with commercial baked goods had made their way into their small town, and competition proved to be tough. If sales kept declining, Mr. Mellark would have no choice but to close. Peeta had panicked. If the bakery closed, not only would he lose his family's main source of income, but their home as well. 

Peeta barely consulted with Katniss when he decided to give up another dream. The next day he had gone to his advisor and changed his major from art education to business and finance. The change in curriculum meant Peeta was now a semester behind, and to compensate, he added an additional course to his spring semester. When Katniss found out, she did not speak to him for three days. When she finally came to him, she had announced she had dropped all of her classes and would be putting her schooling on hold. Peeta had protested, but Katniss fought her position hard, and in the end, it was decided she would become a stay at home mom, allowing Peeta to dedicate all of his extra time to school and the bakery. 

While at the time it had seemed like a horrible idea, it ended up being possibly the best decision of their young lives. Within the next year, things improved greatly, both in their home, and at the bakery. With their daughter on her hip, Katniss worked with Mr. Mellark to develop new recipes for the bakery, which resulted in the invention of their best selling cheese buns. With Peeta's new financial knowledge, he found ways to cut costs without cutting quality, and soon, the bakery was floating above water instead of drowning. 

After that, things were great for everyone. Peeta watched as Katniss became the strong, confident woman he knew in high school, and he fell in love with her all over again. With her support, Peeta had finished school a few months after their daughter turned four, and then, with his support, Katniss reenrolled at the community college a year ago and was working to complete her core credits before applying for online classes at the state university. 

But just when Peeta thought everything was right in his world, Katniss had dropped a bombshell on him at the beginning of the summer. 

"Peeta, we need to talk." It was a simple request, and Peeta had not questioned her intentions as he washed dishes, cleaning up from their Memorial Day cook out. They had had a few friends over, Finnick and his wife Annie, Katniss' childhood friend Gale, who was home from deployment and wanted them to meet his fiancée, Madge. They had been having a good night. 

Peeta had turned off the water and turned to her cheerfully, but his face fell when he saw the turmoil in her eyes. He immediately went to take her in his arms, but she took a step back. 

Peeta had known in an instant something was wrong. 

"Peeta, I've been doing a lot of thinking. I plan to file for divorce next week." Suddenly, all the wind was knocked out of him and for the second time in his life, he thought he would just stop breathing. She had said it so calmly, without feeling. 

"I don't believe you."

"We have to be honest with ourselves, Peeta. Yes, things have been going well, but it feels like pretend to me."

"It's not pretend!" he insisted. "How can you say what we have isn't real? We've come so far. We've worked through every problem, survived every sacrifice." 

"That's just it. We shouldn't have had so many problems, so many sacrifices. And we're in a good place now, but what happens when the next problem arises? I can't keep up this cycle of good and bad the rest of my life."

He sighed, trying to keep his anger at bay. "That's what marriages are all about, Katniss! That's what life is about! You get through the bad to enjoy the good." 

Katniss shook her head sadly. "Then I guess I'm just not cut out for any of this." 

"What about her?" Peeta had asked, looking towards the hall where their daughter was fast asleep in her room. "She's starting school this year. How do you think she'll handle this?" 

Katniss was silent for several moments, chewing on her bottom lip in concentration. He could tell she had not considered their daughter's feelings in any of this. The little girl adored her parents, and Peeta knew she would be devastated by the news. 

"Fine. I'll wait until she starts school to file. Then she can have a few weeks to adjust to her new environment before we tell her." That was the end of the discussion as Katniss walked away. 

That had been three months ago, and Peeta's eyes fell on the large manila envelope that held their divorce papers. True to her word, Katniss had waited to speak with her lawyer, but in the months since her confession, things were tense. To keep up appearances for their daughter's sake, they still shared the same, cold bed, but they rarely spoke to each other anymore. Peeta knew Katniss had already signed her name on every required line, but he had yet to open the envelope since Katniss brought it home last week. If Katniss thought they were pretending anyway, then he was going pretend for one more day. His daughter's first day of kindergarten was not going to be tainted with memories of her parents' separation. 

As if she knew he was thinking of her, five year old Elliana came bounding down the hallway, braided pigtails bouncing up and down. She was wearing her brand new red dress she picked out herself and had the widest grin Peeta had ever seen. 

"I'm ready, Daddy!" she exclaimed as she came running into his arms. "How do I look?"

"Absolutely beautiful, sweetheart. I love your braids."

"Mama did them. She said she wore her hair like this on the first day of kindergarten too. And guess what?" Ellie was talking a mile a minute, her excitement no longer contained. 

"What?" he replied, playing along. 

"Mama said she wore a red dress on her first day too! I didn't know that! Did you? I hope I look as pretty as mama did."

"You're even prettier," a voice responded from behind them. Peeta looked over his daughter's head at his soon to be ex-wife and took in the first genuine smile he had seen her adorn in weeks. Yes, he thought, today he was going to allow himself to pretend for the first time. 

\----

MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE 

Peeta pulled into the driveway of Katniss' house and tried to steady himself. Tonight was his thirteen year old daughter's first dance. Her eighth grade formal. Peeta could hardly believe Ellie was old enough to be attending dances. With boys. When she had called to tell him that Avery Wilkerson had asked her to go, Peeta had insisted he come meet the boy beforehand. 

"But Dad," Ellie had whined. "You'll embarrass me."

"I will not. I'm sure your mom would agree with me."

"Mom knows Avery. She likes him." 

Of course, Peeta had thought. Since their divorce had been finalized almost seven years ago, Katniss had become the primary parent. Peeta had not fought Katniss on that request, considering the hours he kept at the bakery. Ellie stayed with Katniss Monday through Friday during the school year, eating dinner with him on Thursdays and Fridays, and staying in her bedroom in the apartment above the bakery every other weekend. Since Ellie was with Katniss the majority of the time, Peeta barely knew any of her classmates or friends. 

"Well, then, if that's the case, I definitely need to meet him," Peeta had insisted, eliciting a groan from Ellie. 

That had been two weeks ago, and truthfully, Peeta had not been looking forward to tonight. Selfishly, he was a bit sad to be losing a night with Ellie, but in true father like fashion, he was mostly overprotective and not ready for his little girl to grow up. 

Peeta exited his car and walked up the sidewalk. Through the window, he could see his ex-wife pacing the floor of her living room and he had to hold back a laugh. He was transported back fourteen years earlier, remembering how he paced his own living room in anticipation of their high school prom. He watched her for a few minutes, and he could not help but think about how beautiful she was. He thought she was beautiful at eighteen, but it was nothing compared to thirty two. While Peeta had mostly moved on since his divorce, dating off and on for the last five years, he still had his days where he wished things were different, days where he wished his family was still whole, and Katniss was his. 

Katniss spotted him then and hurried to let him in the house. She greeted with him a hug and they made their way into the living room. While in the months, and even the first year, following the finalization of their divorce had been tense, with their only communication being pick up and drop off of Ellie, they had worked their way back into a close friendship. While it could not compare to the friendship they once shared, it was nice having someone he could talk to about things like the bakery and upcoming movies. 

"Was I stupid to let her do this?" Katniss asked as they sat down. "I mean, she's only thirteen!"

While Peeta agreed, he knew in this moment he had to play devil's advocate. "Well, we were fourteen when we started dating," he pointed out. 

"And look how that turned out," she bit out. Peeta instantly recoiled. "Oh my god, Peeta, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." 

He shook his head. "It's okay. No regrets here though."

Their conversation was interrupted by a car pulling into the driveway. "That must be Avery and his parents," Katniss said. "Can you go check on Ellie while I let them in?" 

Peeta nodded wordlessly and stood, walking to his daughter's bedroom. He knocked twice and Ellie flung open the door. 

"Dad!" she exclaimed. "What do you think?" Ellie was wearing a modest blue, knee length dress. The shoes she wore only had a slight heel and she had on a minimal amount of make up. Peeta released a breath he had not realized he was holding. Maybe she would not grow up so fast after all, he assured himself. 

"Fantastic, sweetheart. Now, let's go meet Avery." 

\--

"Have a good time," Katniss called as she hung out of her doorway twenty minutes later. Avery's parents would be dropping off and picking up the teenagers after the dance. 

Peeta decided that Katniss had been right. Avery seemed like a good kid, and as it turned out, his parents were regular customers at the bakery. Peeta was at ease with this chapter of his daughter's life. 

"So, now that that's over with, you want to grab a bite to eat?" Peeta inquired as Katniss watched the car drive down the street. 

"Can't."

"Why not? Got a hot date or something?" Peeta joked. 

"Actually..." Katniss' voice trailed off as both of them noticed the truck parking on the side of the road in front of her house. 

Peeta could barely believe his eyes. "Seriously?" Katniss turned away from him and started out onto the sidewalk. Peeta followed. 

"Mellark," the man greeted as they approached each other. 

"Hawthorne," Peeta returned icily. 

"Hiya, Catnip. You ready to go?" Gale ignored Peeta's less than friendly reply and Peeta took that as his cue to leave. 

Katniss' history with Gale had always been a bit unsteady. They were childhood friends, growing up together since their parents were friends. Peeta met Gale the same day he had met Katniss, during third lunch his sixth grade year. Gale was two years older than them, and Peeta always wondered why he did not hang out with the kids his age. Instead, he followed Katniss around like a lost puppy. Katniss insisted Gale was like a brother, and Peeta took her for her word. When Peeta and Katniss began dating their freshman year of high school, Gale was not exactly happy. But Katniss did not see it, as Gale had a bit of a reputation, and had enough girls to keep him occupied. 

Their friendship soured during Katniss' junior year. Gale had enlisted in the military, and despite the fact Katniss was dating Peeta, he felt the need to show her how he felt about her. He almost earned himself a broken nose when he had kissed her. When she told Peeta about it, it was after Gale had already left for basic training, because she knew Peeta would react a lot worse than she had. 

With Gale away, Katniss decided that perhaps Peeta had been right along about Gale's feelings for her. She limited her contact with him, but once she became pregnant with Ellie, she decided she wanted her best friend back in her life. By then, Gale was dating Madge Undersee, a politician's daughter, and neither she nor Peeta thought they had to worry about Gale anymore. 

But, apparently the torch Gale carried for Katniss all those years ago had never diminished. Ten years of marriage and three kids later, Gale had recently separated from Madge and was now dating Peeta's wife. Ex-wife, he corrected himself. Bitter, Peeta got in his car and decided the only place he wanted to be was old man Abernathy's bar. 

\---

THE WEST COAST

Not much had changed at Panem high since Peeta had graduated almost nineteen years before. The hallways still held the dark green lockers, and club banners hung from the ceilings. Some of Peeta's teachers had become Ellie's, and they greeted him warmly as he made his way into the auditorium. Peeta stretched his neck, searching the crowd for any of the members of his family. His brothers and their families had flown in for his daughter's graduation and he was excited to see his nieces and nephews. He finally caught his dad waving frantically from one of the front rows. Peeta chuckled to himself and headed over. 

After spending a few minutes exchanging hugs with everyone, Peeta returned to scanning the crowd, looking for his ex-wife. He quickly spotted her long raven braid, sitting next to her sister, Prim. Peeta excused himself and shimmied down the row. 

"Hey," she greeted, enthusiastically. 

"Hey," Peeta returned, smiling warmly. 

Katniss gestured to the empty seat next to her. "I saved you a seat." 

"Oh!" Peeta was surprised. "I just assumed that was for Gale." 

Katniss's face soured. Prim frowned and muttered, "You didn't tell him?" 

"Tell me what?" 

"We broke up a couple months ago. We just weren't going in the same direction." 

"Sounds familiar," Peeta tried to joke, but the sisters shared identical expressions of (word for unamused?). 

Peeta motioned to his dad, letting him know he would be sitting with Katniss. His dad nodded, understanding, and Peeta sat down. The three sat in silence for several minutes, until Katniss announced she was going to go to the bathroom before the ceremony started. Peeta took advantage of her absence and turned to Prim the moment Katniss was gone. 

"What happened? Ellie was telling me at Christmas she thought Gale was going to propose." 

"He did," Prim confirmed and Peeta's jaw dropped. While they had been divorced for over a decade, he had never had the desire to take any of his relationships to the next level and could not imagine Katniss doing it either. When Ellie had told him about Gale and the potential proposal, he had brushed it off. Mostly because he no longer had any claims on Katniss's heart, but also because he wished he did. "I think she may have accepted too," Prim continued. "But he wanted to have another baby." 

Peeta blinked, trying to school his features to hide the shock. "Really?" 

Prim nodded. "Katniss told him she was past that point in life. I honestly just think she doesn't want kids with him." Prim smiled knowingly and Peeta looked away. He knew what she was getting at. Prim had always been against their divorce and in the beginning blamed Peeta for not fighting harder. But Peeta was not going to force Katniss to do something she did not want to do, and eventually, Prim came to respect that. It did not stop her from dropping hints every year that Katniss still was not over Peeta. 

Their conversation was ended with Katniss's return and the start of the graduation ceremony. As Peeta watched with pride as Ellie followed her peers into the auditorium to take their seats. Peeta felt Katniss grab his hand and try to avoid the smile forming on Prim's lips at the sight of their joined hands. 

\---

Peeta shut the trunk of the Jetta and turned to his daughter. 

"You're sure you don't want me to drive you?" 

Ellie groaned. "Dad, I can handle it. I made the trip last month on my own. I can do it again." 

"I know, I know. But this time you'll be gone a lot longer. I'm your dad. I'm supposed to worry." He held out his arms. Ellie stepped into her father's embrace and Peeta held her close. "I just can't believe my little girl is in college now." 

"She certainly grew up much too fast," a voice mused from behind them. Peeta broke the embrace and motioned for Katniss to join them. 

The family of three held each other for several moments before Katniss finally pulled away, wiping tears from her eyes. 

"Please be careful," she sobbed. "And call us when you can." 

Peeta pulled out his wallet and extended his credit card. "Just in case." 

Ellie hugged each of her parents again, but spent an extra minute in Peeta's arms. "Take care of her, dad," she whispered in his ear. "Don't let anymore time pass with the two of you apart." 

Peeta tried to protest. But Ellie pulled away, giving Katniss a third hug and a promise to call every time she was safely stopped. She climbed into the car and waved as she backed out of the driveway. 

Peeta approached his ex-wife and she nuzzles into his side as they watched Ellie drive down the street. 

"We did well," Katniss whispered. "Considering..." Her voice trailed off as Ellie's car turned out of sight. "Look, Peeta, I'm sorry."

Peeta rubbed her arm reassuringly. "No regrets." He took a chance and kissed the top of her head. Katniss sighed. She turned in his arms and met his eyes. 

"Peeta, I meant it. I'm sorry. Things could have and should have been different. And it's my fault." 

"I meant it too. No regrets." 

"Maybe we could change things," she said hopefully. Peeta searched her face, unclear on what she was really aiming for. 

"What are you saying, Katniss?" 

She frowned. "I'm honestly not sure." Then she laughed. "I'm almost 40 and I don't even know how to ask a man to dinner." 

Peeta smiled. "Are you asking me to go on a date with you?"

"If you'll have me." 

Suddenly Peeta was transported 18 years in the past, to the teenager who only wanted to prove to his girlfriend that they could make it work. While the teenage boy had not been able to fulfill that promise, the man he had become could. His smile spread across his face as he kissed Katniss's head again. 

"Always."


End file.
